Planning Document

Design Influences

Five reference websites that shaped the direction of the Generation Pet redesign, with analysis of what to take from each.

Prepared for Doug John / Generation Pet
Doc Type Design Reference
Status Active Reference
References 5 Sites

These five references were selected to cover the full surface area of what the Generation Pet rebuild needs to accomplish: learning how the best natural pet food brands tell their story visually, seeing what a modern B2B wholesale distributor looks like digitally, understanding how ingredient transparency becomes a design principle, studying how a founder-built natural food company uses its origin story as a brand centerpiece, and finding out what genuinely warm, trust-forward design looks like in the premium natural pet space. Each one teaches something different. The goal is not imitation but synthesis, calibrated to a 28-year-old wholesale distributor with a real story to tell.

1
Natural Pet Brand
The Farmer's Dog
thefarmersdog.com

Why we included it

The Farmer's Dog is the most well-designed brand in the natural pet nutrition space and the clearest proof that premium design and nutrition credibility can coexist. They built a brand around the same core belief GenPet was founded on: what animals eat directly determines how long and how well they live. Their site executes that belief at every touchpoint, from warm lifestyle photography of real dogs to copy that talks to pet owners like informed adults. The tone is exactly what GenPet needs: earnest, knowledgeable, and completely unsalesy. The design is warm without being saccharine, and scientific without being clinical.

What to borrow

→ Open with the belief, not the product: The Farmer's Dog homepage leads with "We believe dogs deserve real food" before showing anything for sale. GenPet's "Living Longer Through Nutrition" tagline is the same instinct and should be the opening statement of the new home page, not a footer detail.
→ Natural photography that features the dog, not the bag: Every lifestyle image centers the animal. The product is always the context, never the subject. GenPet's new brand site should follow the same rule across every page.
→ Trust signals as content, not callouts: Ingredient sourcing, vet approval, and nutritional data are woven into editorial content rather than dropped in as badges. GenPet's brand catalog should use the same approach: "why we carry this brand" as readable copy, not a spec sheet.
2
B2B Wholesale Analog
KeHE Distributors
kehe.com

Why we included it

KeHE is the most direct structural analogue to Generation Pet that exists online: a natural and specialty food wholesale distributor serving independent retailers and specialty chains across the US. Their business model, value proposition, and retailer audience are nearly identical to GenPet's, only at national scale. KeHE has invested in their digital presence and the result shows what a B2B wholesale brand looks like when it takes itself seriously. Their site proves that wholesale distribution does not have to look like a 2005 order entry system. It can look like a partner.

What to borrow

→ Lead with the value to the retailer, not the catalog: KeHE's homepage headline is about what they do for store owners, not how many SKUs they carry. GenPet should open with "We help independent pet stores carry the brands their customers ask for" before ever listing a brand name.
→ Territory and rep presence as a feature: KeHE dedicates real page real estate to their regional sales team and distribution footprint. For GenPet, the five named regional reps and dual-warehouse coverage are competitive advantages that should be presented with the same prominence.
→ Retailer portal as a premium benefit, not a login button: The KeHE portal is framed as a set of tools that make running your store easier. GenPet's order portal section should be positioned the same way: entry to something valuable, not just a URL.
3
Natural Pet Brand
Open Farm
openfarmpetfood.com

Why we included it

Open Farm built their brand on a single organizing principle: radical ingredient transparency. Every product can be traced back to specific farms and suppliers. That principle drives every design decision on their site: clean layouts that give the ingredients room to breathe, photography that shows sourcing rather than finished bags, and copy that explains why the sourcing matters rather than just claiming it does. For GenPet, which carries 121+ brands each chosen on values-based criteria Doug John has applied since 1998, Open Farm shows what it looks like when sourcing philosophy becomes a visual language.

What to borrow

→ Filtering as a brand statement: Open Farm's product filter leads with protein source and diet type, not price or popularity. GenPet's brand catalog should filter by category, protein type, and diet philosophy, signaling to retailers that the selection process was intentional.
→ "Why we carry this" as standard content: Open Farm explains the sourcing story for every product line. GenPet should add a short "why Generation Pet carries this brand" note to each brand detail page, making explicit the curation that Doug John has exercised for 28 years.
→ Clean product grid with strong visual hierarchy: Open Farm handles 30+ product lines without visual clutter through consistent card sizes, restrained color usage, and clear naming conventions. The same discipline applied to GenPet's brand catalog would immediately improve scan-ability for time-pressed retailers.
4
Natural Food Brand Analog
Vital Farms
vitalfarms.com

Why we included it

Vital Farms is not a pet company, but they are the best model for what GenPet's brand narrative should become. They sell pasture-raised eggs and butter, distributed through independent grocery and specialty retailers, built on a genuine founding story about doing things differently when the industry standard was not good enough. That is GenPet's story told in a different category. Vital Farms calls their approach "radically transparent" and their entire site is organized around proving it, from founder history to farm partner profiles. The parallels are direct: founded on personal conviction, distributed through independent retailers, values-led curation from day one.

What to borrow

→ The founding story as the first section of About: Vital Farms' About page opens with the founder's original conviction, not a corporate mission statement. GenPet's story, Doug John founding a company in 1998 because he watched his own animals suffer from poor nutrition, is equally compelling and should be the very first thing a prospect reads.
→ Independent retailer as partner, not customer: Vital Farms has a dedicated retail partner section that frames independent stores as essential to their mission, not just a distribution channel. GenPet's independent-retailers-only policy is a genuine differentiator and should be framed the same way: GenPet chose you, and the choice matters.
→ Warm cream and green palette with natural photography: Vital Farms' color language, warm off-whites, deep greens, amber accents, translates directly to GenPet's existing brand palette. Their approach to photography (natural light, farm settings, no studio artificiality) is the visual register GenPet's new site should occupy.
5
Founder-Built Brand
Bob's Red Mill
bobsredmill.com

Why we included it

Bob's Red Mill is a 40-year-old natural food company where the founder's face, name, and personal philosophy are woven into every touchpoint of the brand. Bob Moore started the company in 1978 because he believed whole grain nutrition was being abandoned by the mainstream food industry. That belief, held consistently for four decades, became the brand's most durable asset. GenPet is in the same position: Doug John founded the company in 1998 on a personal conviction about animal nutrition, and that conviction has remained the organizing principle through every brand added to the catalog. Bob's Red Mill shows what it looks like when a founder-built company learns to use its own history as a competitive moat instead of burying it in a footnote.

What to borrow

→ The founder as a consistent visual anchor: Bob Moore's image and voice appear throughout the site, not just on the About page. For GenPet, Doug John's story and perspective should recur: as a quote on the homepage, as context on the Territory page where he owns his own sales region, as the voice behind the brand blog.
→ Longevity as a trust signal, not a liability: Bob's Red Mill treats its 40-year history as proof of quality commitment, not a sign of being outdated. GenPet's 28-year track record should be positioned the same way: "We have been doing this since 1998 because the retailers who trusted us then are still with us now."
→ Wholesome without being dated: Bob's Red Mill uses warm earth tones, clean typography, and simple layouts that feel intentionally traditional without looking like they were designed in 2003. That balance is exactly what GenPet needs: a brand that honors its history while presenting confidently to a new generation of independent retailers.
Synthesis
Key Design Themes
Belief before product
Every strong natural brand on this list opens with a conviction, not a catalog. GenPet's homepage should open with the nutrition-as-foundation philosophy before showing a single brand logo. The belief is what separates GenPet from a broadline distributor.
Founder voice as brand DNA
The Farmer's Dog, Vital Farms, and Bob's Red Mill all center a founding story and let it recur throughout the site. Doug John's 1998 origin story is GenPet's most differentiated asset. It should appear on the homepage, the About page, and the Territory page where he still carries his own accounts.
Warm natural photography
Across all five references, lifestyle photography follows the same grammar: natural light, real animals or real food in real settings, no studio backgrounds. The animal or the ingredient is always the subject. GenPet's new site should source photography that follows these same rules.
The retailer as a partner
KeHE and Vital Farms both frame their retail relationships as partnerships with shared values, not transactional accounts. GenPet's exclusive independent-retailer channel policy is the most direct expression of that belief and should be a headline feature of the brand, not a footnote.
Curation made visible
Open Farm and The Farmer's Dog both make their sourcing decisions visible and legible. GenPet carries 121+ brands, each chosen by Doug John based on criteria he has held since 1998. That curation is a competitive advantage that should be explicit: "why we carry this brand" as standard content on every brand page.
Clean catalog, strong hierarchy
A 121-brand catalog is an asset and a risk. Open Farm and KeHE both show how to organize large product sets without visual chaos: consistent card format, clear category filtering, restrained color use, and strong typography. GenPet's Brands page needs the same discipline.